Grand Circle ArizonA • ColorAdo • nevAdA • new MexiCo • UtAh 2020 Official Travel Planner of the Grand Circle Association grandcircle.org HERE, ANC I E N T SECRETS UNFOLD VIS I TUTAH.C O M 2 GRAND CIRCLE ASSOCIATION 2020 The Grand Circle® Travel Planner is the official guide of the Grand Circle® Association. The Association is a non-profit member organization dedicated to the promotion of visitation and travel within Arizona, Colorado, Nevada, New Mexico and Utah. GRAND CIRCLE® ASSOCIATION BOARD OF DIRECTORS ED SPEAR, PRESIDENT Ely, NV JEFF LYMAN, VICE PRESIDENT Sky Ute Casino and Resort Ignacio, CO ARDEN REDSHIRT, TREASURER Antelope Canyon Tours Page, AZ SUE FINLEY, DIRECTOR Red Feather Lodge Grand Canyon, AZ MICHELLE KIEN, DIRECTOR Forever Resorts Scottsdale, AZ DEBBIE KOVALIK, DIRECTOR Grand Junction, CO JENNIFER LAZARZ, DIRECTOR Visit Gallup Gallup, NM ROBIN MARQUIS, DIRECTOR Aramark Corporation Page, AZ WILANN THOMAS, DIRECTOR City of Aztec Aztec, NM To learn more about the Grand Circle® Association or to join, please contact: LAURIE FRANTZ, EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR [email protected] 505-557-7839 Front cover photos, from top clockwise: Main Photo: Chimney Rock, San Juan Mountains, CO; Danita Dellmont, Alamy Stock. Insets (from top): Wheeler Perak, Great Basin National Park, NV; Dennis Frates, Alamy Stock. North Window, Arches National Park, UT; Anthony Hefflin, SS; Lake Powell, AZ/UT, Johnny Adolphson, SS; Taos Pueblo, NM; Josemaria Toscano, SS. *SS = Shutterstock GRANDCIRCLE.ORG 3 WELCOME TO THE GRAND CIRCLE THE WAVE, PARIA WILDERNESS, AZ 4 GRAND CIRCLE ASSOCIATION 2020 ZION NATIONAL PARK Dear Fellow Explorers, On behalf of the many members of the Grand Circle Association, I invite you to explore the best of America’s Southwest — the Grand Circle. This is a diverse land of magnificent natural wonders, rich cultural traditions and colorful history. It is a joy to visit at any time of the year. From the depths of Arizona’s Grand Canyon to the lofty mountains and mesas of Western Colorado; from the dramatic pinnacles of New Mexico to Utah’s soaring stone arches, a varied terrain will surprise you at every turn with its diversity. Traveling here is an adventure you will find nowhere else. The Grand Circle is covered with National Parks and Monuments, laced with National Scenic Byways and dotted with archaeological wonders. As you tour through this wonderland of scenic attractions, experience Native American culture, both ancient and modern, rejuvenate yourself in welcoming communities and get outdoors for some adventure and exercise. Please join us in discovering just a bit more of what makes the Southwestern USA so great! Whether visiting for the first time or returning, you will find that there is more to explore at every corner of the Grand Circle. Happy Travels, Ed Spear, President COURTHOUSE TOWERS, ARCHES NATIONAL PARK GRANDCIRCLE.ORG 5 CANYONS OF THE COLORADO RIVER LAKE POWELL he Colorado River has carved a score of canyons, but none so awe inspiring as Glen Canyon and, of course the most awesome T of all, the Grand Canyon. They are a study in contrasts: to early explorers of the Grand, its tumultuous waters “work on the nerves, there is no repose in it, nothing that is soft.” Glen Canyon, though, was “almost absolutely serene, an interlude for a pastoral flute.” That is still true today, especially with most of Glen Canyon sleeping below the surface of Lake Powell. However, the upper sandstone walls of Glen Canyon are as seductive as ever — and they are more approachable. Now we can boat, float, ski, fish, sail, or kayak amongst sheer cliff walls and billowing, towering domes. As for the Grand Canyon, most of us simply stare with incomprehension. It’s too vast, too old, too grand to grasp But for those of us who do hike or ride or raft into its depths, the Grand Canyon truly can transform our lives. GRAND CANYON NATIONAL PARK, SOUTH RIM 6 GRAND CIRCLE ASSOCIATION 2020 LAKE POWELL GRAND CANYON NP, SOUTH RIM GRAND CANYON NATIONAL HAVASU FALLS HORSESHOE BEND Park — SOUTH RIM Grand Canyon National Park is an awesome example of Mother Nature’s finest engineering. Ten miles wide, a mile deep. A silvery ribbon of water still relentlessly continues to slice through billion year old rock. From the best vantage points on the rim, you see less than a quarter of the Canyon, yet even this inspires us to silence. Hike down Bright Angel or Kaibab or Hermit Trail, and you’ll begin to understand the enormity of these vertical walls. At 7,000 feet, the South Rim glistens with snow clad buttes in winter, shimmers with heat mirages in summer. On the Canyon floor, temperatures can easily reach over 100 degrees in July and August. Hiking, riding mules to Phantom Ranch, and flight-seeing all offer unforgettable moments in the Canyon. Be sure to visit the Canyon View Information Plaza located at Mather Point to find out about shuttle schedules, interpretive RAFTING ON THE COLORADO RIVER programs, and hiking conditions. From the eastern entrance of the Park, a spectacular road winds along the rim, offering turnouts and scenic overlooks of the Canyon. The South Rim is open year-round. nps.gov/grca; for Park lodging and concessions, grandcanyonlodges.com, visitgrandcanyon.com GRANDCIRCLE.ORG 7 RED ROCKS, SEDONA NEARBY COMMUNITIES (South Rim) Tusayan is just a few miles south of the Canyon’s southern entrance, and has a wide variety of hotels and restaurants. The National Geographic IMAX theater offers stunning and fascinating perspectives of the Canyon on its giant screen. Grand Canyon flightseeing, by helicopter or fixed-wing aircraft, is available from Tusayan’s airport. At the Park’s east entrance, the town of Cameron has lodging, restaurant and a beautiful trading post. Williams has numerous hotels and restaurants, and is the origination point for the Grand Canyon Railway, a historic ride to the South Rim, complete with strolling musicians and a mock train robbery. GrandCanyonCVB.org, williamschamber.com Flagstaff has a great historic district, many accommodations and restaurants, and several additional attractions, including Lowell Observatory and the Museum of Northern Arizona. Vestiges of Historic Route 66 are found in both Flagstaff and Williams. To the south, eclectic and bustling Sedona is set amid tall red rock buttes. flagstaffarizona.org HISTORIC ROUTE 66 Stretching from New Mexico to Arizona, visitors find many reminders of the glory of the “Mother Road” across Northern Arizona. Winslow, Holbrook, Flagstaff, Williams, Peach Springs and Kingman all have vestiges of the motels, diners and gas stations that made Route 66 the epitome of highway travel. Even today, wanderers travel here from around the globe to experience the nostalgia of those days. WALNUT CANYON NATIONAL MONUMENT. South of Flagstaff, the monument offers a steep trail into the canyon to view the high limestone alcoves where the Sinagua built their homes from 1100 to 1250. nps.gov/waca RED ROCK SCENIC BYWAY Red Rock Scenic Byway winds through Sedona’s Red Rock Country, often called a “museum without walls.” Travelers are amazed by the high desert’s power, diversity, and sense of intimacy with nature. Inhabited for thousands of years, the stunning red rocks are alive with a timeless spirit that captivates and inspires. 7.5 miles / 12.1 km I-17 to Sedona. SUNSET CRATER AND WUPATKI GRAND CANYON NATIONAL MONUMENTS. This NATIONAL PARK area is part of a 2,200 square mile volcanic field near Flagstaff with more — NORTH RIM A different world greets than 400 cinder cones. Sunset Crater visitors to the other rim of the is the youngest volcano; it exploded Canyon. Higher in elevation, in AD 1065 and blanketed the entire lower in visitation, the North region in thick, moisture preserving Rim offers splendid moments ash. Different prehistoric societies of solitude on the cool, green moved here to take advantage of the Kaibab Plateau. But the vistas suddenly rich soil, so the area became across the Canyon and into its a trading crossroads. More than 800 depths still stun and inspire, and ruins – the homes and villages of the trails still beckon hikers down Sinagua and Ancestral Puebloans – below the rim. Visitor facilities, have been found in this immediate including accommodations, area, and are now protected as are open from mid May to mid Wupatki National Monument. October. Once it snows, access nps.gov/sucr or nps.gov/wupa to the North Rim is closed for the winter. nps.gov/grca; for North Rim lodging and concessions. GrandCanyonForever.com 10 GRAND CIRCLE ASSOCIATION 2020 GRAND CANYON, NORTH RIM NORTH RIM LODGE, GRAND CANYON GRANDCIRCLE.ORG 11 KAIBAB PLATEAU GLEN CANYON NRA NORTH RIM PARKWAY Travel through the Kaibab Plateau’s meadows and forests of dense ponderosa pine and mixed conifer to the brink of the spectacular north rim of the Grand Canyon, 1,000 feet higher than the south rim. Watch for the abundant wildlife and experience breathtaking views of the canyon. 42 mi. / 68 km Jacob’s Lake to North Rim. from Wahweap Marina or Antelope Lodge & Marina and full days from Bullfrog NEARBY COMMUNITIES Point Marina to Rainbow Bridge. Rent and Halls Crossing Marinas) and via a (North Rim) a houseboat for a week to explore the strenuous trail from Navajo Mountain. The closest community to the North thousands of channels braced by high rock The towering Bridge is a sacred site to Rim of Grand Canyon National Park is walls and lined with soft sandy beaches. neighboring tribes, so visitors are asked Jacob Lake. Located at the junction of Hike from the lake into Glen Canyon’s to treat the Bridge with the respect they Highway 89 and the Kaibab North Rim magical backcountry, following undulating would use in a cathedral.